Did Hillary Clinton Play a Role in Cynthia Nixon Failing to Make the Gubernatorial Ballot?

Though there has been a lot of interest in the Sex and the City star’s campaign, the Cynthia Nixon governor run has stalled. She was unable to beat incumbent Gov. Andrew Cuomo as the Democratic pick this week leading up to the September primary. Democratic party members overwhelmingly voted for Cuomo at the party’s state convention yesterday, giving him 95% of their votes.

“I’m here because I think it’s important that at a Democratic convention there be at least one Democrat running for governor,” Nixon said, accusing Cuomo of acting more like a Republican and not a Democrat. “I’m not a protest candidate. I’m a viable candidate who is really running hard for the Democratic nomination, and that’s why I’m here, to say this is my party, too. I’m not afraid, and I’m here. You can’t shut me out.”

Nixon needed 25% of the vote Wednesday to get on the primary ballot. But don’t count out the Cynthia Nixon governor campaign altogether. She still has one option left to secure her spot in the primary running: She can gather signatures statewide from voters who believe in her and her mission.

At the convention, one person who surprisingly (or maybe not so surprisingly) came out in support of Cuomo was Hillary Clinton. Like many speakers before her, Clinton credited Cuomo for New York’s legalization of gay marriage. “Now more than ever we need leaders who will stand up for progressive values,” Clinton said from the podium. “We need leaders who believe in producing results and getting things done.”

But Clinton’s choice of Cuomo over Nixon appears hypocritical to some, at a time when Clinton has been pounding the pavement, supporting the narrative that we need more women running for office, especially after her loss in 2016.

“To any woman who has ever asked, ‘How can I have an impact?’ consider this: Run for office,” Clinton writes in Cosmo. “There are plenty of reasons why we need more women in office. That’s true whether you’re a Democrat, a Republican or an independent.”

Wednesday’s convention in New York

But Clinton’s support for Cuomo may actually do Nixon more good than harm, as Clinton’s favorability rating sank to a new low of 36% according to a December Gallup poll. Also, Nixon’s brand of presenting herself as a progressive outsider candidate is only strengthened more without Clinton’s endorsement, who is supposedly supporting Cuomo because “he has a history of supporting her and her family.”

Cynthia Nixon doesn’t seem to be phased by Clinton’s decision not to endorse her, even though Nixon campaigned loudly for Clinton in 2016, endorsing her over then progressive candidate Bernie Sanders. And Nixon dismissed Cuomo’s dominance at the convention. She and her team believe progressives who will vote in the primary don’t trust the current governor of New York state.

“I think that Andrew Cuomo can get all the endorsements that he wants,” Nixon has said to reporters. “The fact of the matter is people are going to be voting on his record, which is not very progressive.”

What do you think of the Cynthia Nixon governor run and Hillary’s failure to endorse? Sound off in the comments.